“Human trafficking chose me. I’ve always been interested in social justice. I was called to Cabrini first and this position second.”
During her time as an undergraduate, Katie Cashman proved that she was going to do something extraordinary. Rather than choosing to study abroad in the typical destinations across Europe, Cashman chose to study in Gulu, Uganda. To her surprise, this experience would set the framework for her position with Cabrini and her work towards anti-human trafficking.
Being exposed to the aftermath of the Ugandan civil war, Cashman met and was surrounded by a variety of different people who were either trafficked at some point in their life or had a loved one who went through the tragedy. It was not until she began her research into her position with the Cabrini Mission Corps that she understood the severity of the problem she encountered.
“That was the first time that human trafficking became emotional for me,” Cashman said in retelling of her experience of learning about this tragedy, during the first time she viewed the documentary on human trafficking titled “Not My Life.”
“As I was watching the girl in the video recount her story of being abducted and what it was like and her story, it was hard for me to hear. It was hard to watch a population of people who I loved so dearly to be put into a box of a documentary and the definition of human trafficking,” Cashman said.
The reality of human trafficking is that it is modern day slavery. According to freetheslaves.net, slavery is defined as “being forced to work without pay, under the threat of violence, and being unable to walk away.” Currently, between 21 and 30 million people are trapped in slavery today. Contrary to popular belief, this happens everywhere both overseas and domestically.
Just last month, six traffickers were arrested due to an undercover sting operation that was meant to target potential offenders. In a story that was published through philly.com it illustrated that the operation put out an online advertisement offering prostitution services. The ad went on to receive “hundreds” of text messages and phone calls and the offenders were arrested at the sites that were designated as meeting places. Those taken into custody were from local areas including Malvern, Willow Grove, Royersford, North Wales, Philadelphia and Norristown.
As Cashman later learned, human trafficking is not the only form of slavery. Based on information provided by the Polaris Project, slavery can come in the form of sex trafficking through residential brothels, fake massage businesses and street prostitution. Aside from sex trafficking, which is one of the most common forms of slavery, labor trafficking also makes up the majority of those enslaved worldwide.
In an effort to fight human trafficking, Cashman has utilized her role with the Cabrini Action and Advocacy Coalition (CAAC) and regularly attends Montgomery, Delaware and Chester county coalition meetings. In being a part of the CAAC through the Cabrini Mission Corps, Cashman also works with organizations such as Covenant House, which takes in children who have either run-away from home or from their abductors, and Dawn’s Place, an organization which takes in women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation.
As part of the CAAC, Cashman assists in organizing ways to financially support both Covenant House and Dawn’s Place.
Cashman has dedicated her service to raising awareness of this ever present issue. When asked what she believes is the most important aspect of this problem that needs to be known, Cashman said “something that’s the most greatly misunderstood is that most victims do not know they are victims either because they haven’t tried to escape yet or they feel shame.”
This reality is what she hopes will dissipate with her work as a missioner. She aims to have the Cabrini community take the information that she is presenting and continue with the movement to end human trafficking.
